‘What on Earth?’ asked Ace. She instinctively operated the scanner screen control which revealed to them masses of debris hurtling towards them.
‘What's happened?’
The Doctor looked at the console readings which gave very little information except what they already could clearly see. ‘An explosion - the senses indicate that the debris is from a ship or possibly a satellite.’ He looked up from the console at the view, just s another explosion erupted and more debris hurtled towards them.
We'd better move out of the way,’
‘What could have happened?’ asked Ace, ‘A nuclear explosion perhaps?’ she suggested.
‘Maybe, it's hard to tell.’ The scanner screen closed as the Doctor operated the console to move clear of the hurtling debris.
‘Can't we just slip back in time and take a look?’ asked Ace, she was eager to find out as was the Doctor.
‘Certainly not!’ he snapped.
‘What harm will it do? We'll only be observing an explosion it's not as if you're interfering...as usual.’ Ace looked at him, ‘Go on, Professor.’
‘Okay,’ the Doctor said with reluctance, but it was clear to Ace that the Doctor was just as keen, if not more so, as to what had happened. He had tried to sound as though he wasn't interested but Ace could see through him. He smiled to himself as he set about adjusting the time controls.
Within seconds the TARDIS had slipped back in time to view the ensuing disaster. The scanner showed a large ship moving into space across their path.
Within seconds the TARDIS had slipped back in time to view the ensuing disaster. The scanner showed a large ship moving into space across their path.
The Doctor checked the console for information.
‘We appear to be in the Saros system, and according to my information, Saros has only recently been colonised by Earthlings.’
‘From Earth?’ asked Ace, which the Doctor immediately acknowledged. ‘Colonists from Earth, well wicked.’ Ace moved nearer to the screen to look at the ship.
‘Professor, look there's another ship.’
‘Where?’ asked the Doctor.
‘It's just gone behind the shuttle…’ Ace was interrupted as they had witnessed earlier and again they felt the onslaught of debris.
The Doctor again moved the TARDIS clear of the debris.
‘Did you see, Professor?’ asked Ace, ‘the other ship?’
‘No, and it didn't show up on any of the sensors.’
‘Do you think it could have destroyed the shuttle?’ asked Ace.
‘Possibly, yes.’
‘Then let's go back and warn them.’
‘No!’ came the short and simple answer from the Doctor.' We cannot interfere…’
The Doctor was cut off by Ace. ‘But that's never stopped you before.’
‘This is different, in that we've actually witnessed something happened and we're going back in time to change it - stop it from happening.’
‘But we've just witnessed a murder, a mass murder if you like,’ Ace said angrily, ‘we should at least tell someone what we've seen.’
‘We don't know that and anyway who are going to tell - if there's anyone to tell?’
‘What about one of those planets out there?’ suggested Ace, ‘You know, wherever it was that shuttle was heading for?’
The Doctor was silent for a moment, as clearly Ace's idea was a reasonable one and perhaps, he thought, that maybe the other colonists were in danger and there was no real harm in helping them - was there?
Ace could see from the look on the Doctor's face that she had made a valid point and as he calculated their position and that of the position of the ship before it's flight was abruptly ended, she smiled a winning smile.
‘Where too then, Professor?’
‘Well, according to my calculations, the ship was heading for the fifth planet of the Saros system.’
‘The fifth planet, what could be there?’
‘Life!’ declared the Doctor and set the co-ordinates for Saros 5.
~~~
‘Nothing, sir, not even a squeak - just static.’
‘Sir,’ it was Ridge, ‘there appears to someone in airlock 9. The readings are unclear.’
Zaran looked over to Ridge. ‘What do you mean?’ he asked.
‘Well, sir, they appear not to be human…’
Santo stopped his monotonous rendition and looked over at Ridge, both he and Zaran waited for some explanation from him but all they got was an equally puzzled look.
Zaran decided to check the readings for himself. ‘Mmm, a heartbeat, but irregular. Ridge, I want you to go down there and check it out.’
Ridge was about to protest when Zaran caught the look he was given and without a further word, Ridge left the communications room.
Zaran looked at Santo. ‘Well?’
‘Shouldn't you report it sir?’ said Santo a little nervous in that he was questioning a superior officer's judgement, ‘Commander Napier, should be inform…’
‘I'll decide what Napier should and shouldn't be told.’ snapped Zaran and moved back over to the window.
It was as if he was expecting something, thought Santo. ‘The shuttle's not due for at least another three days, sir.’
‘Maybe,’ said Zaran, matter-of-factly and through his binoculars he caught site of a flashing beacon, as an elongated shape appeared on the platform amid the remaining operative landing lights.
The instruments, dials and readings in front of Santo suddenly went wild. ‘What the blazes?!’ Santo couldn't believe his eyes. ‘Sir! Something's landed on the platform - it can't be the shuttle its mass is too small…’
Zaran gave no response to Santo's sudden outburst and said: ‘There's nothing out there, you must have a fault somewhere, anyway we would have heard it.’
Zaran moved over behind Santo. ‘I suggest you run a complete systems check, you'll probably find those readings with regards to airlock 9 are wrong also.’
Santo didn't look round and stared at the monitors before him. Something was wrong, he thought, but what?
Zaran's com-link suddenly crackled into life, to which he acknowledged a call from Napier.
Zaran's com-link suddenly crackled into life, to which he acknowledged a call from Napier.
‘Report to the Rec-room,’ came the order.
‘Right away, sir…’ replied Zaran and abruptly the com-link went dead.
Zaran turned and left the communications room, while Santo began to carry out the seemingly pointless task of checking the systems.
~~~